Volume One: The Autumn Sacrifice Chapter Thirty-Three: True Hunters Always Appear as Prey

Handing the clothes to Du Yanruo, the man in white smiled slightly and said, "I have no women's clothing, so please make do with these."

Du Yanruo nodded, looking at him.

The man in white uttered an "Oh," and said, "I shall withdraw then!"

He turned and left.

Just as Du Yanruo had waited for him, the man in white waited for half an hour. Hearing a sound, he turned back and was stunned.

Du Yanruo was naturally elegant and refined; dressed in men's clothing, she possessed a unique charm. Although she looked the part, in reality, she did not quite fit the meaning of those four words. But at first glance, that was indeed the impression she gave.

The man in white practiced in his sect, where there were no senior or junior sisters, and he spent his days solely in the company of men. Having come down the mountain for the first time, he had never interacted with a young woman, and he could not help but blush. The way he pursed his lips and lowered his head, wanting to look but not daring to, was quite charming.

This sight made even Du Yanruo pause. It seemed like he would be very easy to deceive.

With the grace of a well-bred lady, she cupped her hands in a bow and said, "I thank you, young master, for your rescue just now."

The man in white hurriedly returned the gesture, saying, "I was merely passing by and did it on a whim; there is no need for thanks, miss."

Du Yanruo covered her face and wept softly, saying with grief, "Why did you save me, young master? To be killed by the monster like that would have been a release..."

The man in white said in a panic, "Why would you say such a thing? Our bodies and skin are gifts from our parents; how can you give up your life so easily!"

Du Yanruo continued to sob, "My home is empty, my kin have suffered such trials, and I have no ability to save them, nor anywhere to go. What is the point of living?"

The man in white said solemnly, "Miss, please tell me the reason. If I can help, I will certainly not shirk from it."

Du Yanruo feigned hesitation, and only after the man in white pressed her repeatedly did she embellish the story, claiming that Jiang Wang had used the power of the Marquis's estate to humiliate her and had found various pretexts to harass the Du family. In short, she painted Jiang Wang as the worst of all tyrants.

The man in white was naturally incensed. Although he could see that Du Yanruo was at the stage of "Hundred-Day Foundation Building," she had not yet become a true cultivator. He figured that if the Marquis's estate held such great power and she could be bullied like this, ordinary people must be living in dire straits.

"Do not weep, miss. Since I, Xie Wuxing, have encountered such a thing, I will certainly take care of it. In all of Kutan, there is no one I dare not offend. As for a tyrant like Jiang Wang, I shall slay him with a single stroke of my sword!"

Du Yanruo had been testing the waters, intentionally making Jiang Wang sound formidable in her words. Seeing the man in white show no fear and even make such bold claims, she felt a glimmer of joy, regardless of whether his words were true or false. Even if the man in white could not defeat Jiang Wang, it would be a good thing if there were a chance to rescue her father and younger brother.

She immediately acted as if she were about to collapse from weakness, and took the opportunity to lean into the arms of the man in white.

...

Hun City, Panlan Street.
It was already the hour of the Ox (between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.).
The bustle of the temple fair had begun to fade.
Many of the vendors were packing up their stalls to return home.

Jiang Wang looked at the flushed face of Little Fish and smiled, "It seems you had a lot of fun. Go back and get a good night's sleep; tomorrow, I will have Sun Qingya teach you martial arts."

The white-robed cultivator whispered, "Master Jiang, I spotted several cultivators at the temple fair just now. It is possible that the true 'Seekers of Immortality' will soon arrive in Hun City."

Jiang Wang had the old butler take Little Fish back to the estate first, then turned to the white-robed cultivator and asked, "Are there true and false Seekers of Immortality?"

The green-robed cultivator standing nearby joined in, "Whether it is us, or people like Su Lingyi or Miss Shu, we are actually just the first batch of scouts. The true experts sent to seek immortality are on the level of Cai Tanggu and the person from the Qingxuan Bureau. Any further seekers coming to Hun City will certainly not be lower in cultivation than them, and perhaps even stronger."

The white-robed cultivator added, "Furthermore, since people from the Yuyuan Academy and the Qingxuan Bureau have arrived, I suspect the Sword Pavilion will not be far behind."

He and the green-robed cultivator exchanged a glance. At first, they suspected that Master Jiang was a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, but now that they guessed he might actually be an immortal, it was unlikely he had anything to do with the Sword Pavilion.

"Let them come if they wish." Jiang Wang had little interest in this. If he really provoked people everywhere, he feared being attacked by a mob; the so-called true hunter often appears in the guise of the prey.

But Jiang Wang truly did not expect the 'prey' to arrive so quickly.

Just as he turned to return to his estate, a voice called out, "May I ask, brother, do you know the way to Jiang Wang's residence?"

Turning around again, he saw a man in white standing before him, bowing politely with his hands cupped.

The green-robed and white-robed cultivators were stunned; they could not discern the cultivation level of the man in white!

The street was mostly empty, save for the various structures and the lanterns hanging throughout the city. Jiang Wang, standing on Qixia Street, looked at the man in white, who was half-stepping onto Panlan Street, and asked, "What business do you have with Jiang Wang?"

The man in white remembered Du Yanruo's warning. Fearing Jiang Wang's immense influence, he worried that if he spoke plainly, the common folk might be terrified and instead tip off Jiang Wang. He could understand this; how could commoners afford to offend the tyrant Jiang? To protect themselves, making some wrong choices was only natural.

Thus, he smiled and said, "I have long admired the young marquis. Having just arrived in Hun City, I wished to pay a visit. I hope you can point me in the right direction."

The man in white immediately identified the green-robed and white-robed men as cultivators. He assumed they were also seekers of immortality, but since they were following Jiang Wang—who appeared as weak as a reed—he concluded that perhaps Jiang Wang was connected to some powerful clan in Hun City that provided cultivator bodyguards.

Besides, with Du Yanruo—who was at the stage of Hundred-Day Foundation Building—already having been bullied, the power of the tyrant Jiang must be unimaginably vast. Since he was a tyrant in Hun City, and the local garrison was helpless against him while other cultivators were also suppressed, this all made perfect sense.

This was a matter of different perspectives. In small places, one rarely saw cultivators, but where the man in white came from, cultivators were everywhere. He did not think it was rare for ordinary people to have cultivator guards.

Not everyone in this world had the aptitude for cultivation. Even for the head of a major sect, if their offspring lacked talent, they still possessed status. Having subordinates protect them, even with great deference, was completely normal. Even if Jiang Wang's situation was different, perhaps he was just a wealthy young master who wanted to see the world; the so-called seekers of immortality were not necessarily all cultivators. It was reasonable for a well-connected young nobleman who hadn't stepped onto the path of cultivation to want to follow them.

It was just that the man in white looked down upon such young nobles. He had come up with more than one reasonable explanation. However, he had failed to consider that his excuse for seeking Jiang Wang was highly illogical.

Never mind people outside Hun City admiring Jiang Wang; even most locals only knew of him by name but had never seen him in person. The only thing he was famous for was being good-looking, which would only attract the admiration of young maidens. If even men admired him, then there was a major problem.

Jiang Wang felt a sudden chill. He looked at the man in white with suspicion.

The man in white was puzzled by this reaction, but quickly eased his mind. The people of Hun City hated the tyrant Jiang to the core but dared not speak out. By saying he admired Jiang Wang, he was easily mistaken for being one of the tyrant's cronies, and such a guarded reaction was only natural. As long as he eliminated Jiang Wang, he believed these misunderstandings would be cleared up.

For now, he had to endure it; he could not reveal the truth. This, he felt, was the essence of hiding one's merit and fame. A surge of emotion rose within him—his sense of justice was overflowing.

He stood even straighter.

Jiang Wang thought to himself, *Is he showing off his core strength?*

This was truly terrifying to contemplate.

In a panic, he pointed in a direction and said, "Jiang Wang is at the Half-Day Leisure Inn. Hurry and go find him!"

The man in white asked, puzzled, "Is he not the young marquis? Why would he be at an inn?"

Jiang Wang said with a straight face, "I wouldn't know about that. I just saw him heading that way while I was at the temple fair."

The man in white said gratefully, "Thank you, brother. I shall take my leave."

Jiang Wang waved his hand vigorously. Only after the man in white disappeared from sight did he heave a long sigh of relief.

The green-robed cultivator asked, "Master Jiang, was there something wrong with that man?"

Jiang Wang wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Wrong? He was more than wrong—I nearly faced a disaster of 'fallen petals and withered flowers.'"

The green-robed cultivator had no idea that in that brief moment, Jiang Wang and the man in white had been thinking so many things.

...

Half-Day Leisure Inn.
Shu Ni and Ning Shisi had returned from the temple fair early. They were in their room discussing plans for the search for immortality the next day.

Suddenly hearing voices outside, and specifically hearing Jiang Wang's name, Ning Shisi pushed the door open and saw a man in white standing in the lobby downstairs.

Because it was so late, the people in the inn were already asleep, and the clerk was dozing at the counter. Awakened by the man's shouting, the clerk hadn't yet fully registered what was happening. When the man in white saw that only Ning Shisi emerged after he shouted Jiang Wang's name, he immediately understood.

As Shu Ni walked out of the room behind him, the man in white felt he had guessed why the noble young marquis was at an inn. Although an inn was certainly not the best place, for a tyrant like Jiang Wang, any behavior was logical. Seeing that Shu Ni's expression did not seem voluntary, he feared she was being coerced by the tyrant Jiang, and the man in white was very glad he had arrived in time.

He drew his sword from its scabbard, pointed it at Ning Shisi upstairs, and said in a deep voice, "You tyrant who preys upon the people! I have caught you in the act of such evil. It is your bad luck, and today I shall take your life!"

Shu Ni stared blankly at the man in white downstairs, then at the equally stunned Ning Shisi, and said, "What evil have you done? Someone has come knocking on your door. I didn't expect it—you have such capabilities?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the man in white added, "Do not be afraid, miss! I am here to save you!"

Shu Ni's expression became even more vacant.
*Who are you? Why are you saving me? What happened to me?*

She had been furious when she heard Jiang Wang's name, but since she hadn't seen Jiang Wang himself, where did this fool come from?

Ning Shisi asked, confused, "Brother, is there some misunderstanding?"

The man in white said coldly, "The facts are before my eyes; what misunderstanding could there be? A tyrant like you deserves to be executed by everyone. Give me your life!"

A piercing sword intent instantly filled the entire inn.